#GIRLBOSS: Down to Business with the Original Nasty Gal

We were fortunate enough to be able to sit down with Nasty Gal founder, CEO, and now author, Sophia Amoruso to pick her brain about heroes, husband hunting, and how she stays grounded through her growing success. Consider this a little teaser to the wisdom that every aspiring boss bitch looks forward to reading in Amoruso’s forthcoming life bible, #GIRLBOSS, which is now available for preorder.

In our modern world, where we are seeing the rise of the “boss bitch” style and attitude, do you now find it archaic, or simply a societal norm, that women are still conditioned to center their life around husband hunting?I think it’s probably neither—likely just human in many respects. However, you can husband hunt while being a “boss bitch”—that’s what’s new. Myself, and many of my friends, are strong, willful, and opinionated women, who, for the most part, would like to be in a relationship but know that we have things to offer and a diversity of experience that will (hopefully) make us better wives and/or mothers.

Did you feel like you had any business mentors or heroes to look up to as you were building Nasty Gal, or do you feel you mostly had to forge your own path? What are the positives and negatives of the latter?I really haven’t had any heroes. I don’t believe in heroes. I admire and respect my friends who make art or jewelry on the side as much as I admire and respect people who are more conventionally “successful.” Forging my own path has been rewarding but lonely at times. It’s a little late to have a cofounder, but I sometimes wish I at least had a body double!

Was there a specific life event or situation that inspired the course of action that propelled you to your current success?Probably growing up with a supercritical Italian dad. I’d say that taught me to be self-critical, almost to the point of self-abuse. It keeps me honest, never spending too much time celebrating myself, and focused on evolving as a human, a girlfriend, and a leader.